On Monday, the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities will announce a new Turnaround Arts initiative for eight schools with officials from the White House and U.S. Department of Education.

Organizers selected low-performing, high-poverty elementary and middle schools to participate. They are in New Orleans; Denver; Boston; Washington; Des Moines, Iowa; Portland, Ore.; Bridgeport, Conn.; and Lame Deer, Mont. Each school was receiving a federal School Improvement Grant to help boost achievement.